THE owner of the Wickes DIY chain has posted strong quarterly trading despite a dip in its plumbing business caused by fewer people changing their boilers.
Travis Perkins, which owns City Plumbing and more than 600 builders' merchant yards, said its plumbing and heating outlets suffered a like-for-like sales fall of 5.1 per cent while total sales at the unit slipped 3.2 per cent.
The group, headed by chief executive John Carter, said the later start to the plumbing and heating season, coupled with an internal reorganisation and the easing of a boost from a government incentive scheme for boiler replacement, led to market volume falls at its plumbing and heating stores.
However, its other units all traded well, resulting in an overall like-for-like sales lift of 5.7 per cent and group sales rising 6.9 per cent for the period.
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